Baryopodus
Quick Note: If any of you think the references are real... I will just... -_- Baryopodus was a large sauropod titanosaur of the Early Cretaceous Period, dating to around 121 million years ago, back to the Aptian Stage. It was about 98 feet long, its size rivaling that of Argentinosaurus. Description Baryopodus phytophaganax ''(meaning heavy-footed plant eater) was a large, bulky titanosaur that lived in the semi-arid floodplains of Early Cretaceous Argentina. It had a long neck, which would've helped it feed on plants, but scientists are debating whether it held its head in an upright or semi-upright position or horizontally. Whether it fed from the highest treetops or browsed on the ferns below, it was a gargantuan dinosaur, 98 feet long with a height of around 23 feet tall. Its tail was slightly longer than your average sauropod, but there is no evidence it was used to knock out predatory theropods. It was too short to be used as a whip, so for now, Baryopodus's tail remains a mystery. Baryopodus was approximately 45 tons, making it quite a bulky dinosaur, though this isn't unusual for sauropods. It spent most of its time eating the vegetation available. It had a small and light head like many sauropods, which is why it barely fossilized. The Baryopodus's legs were thick and pillar-like. Like other sauropods, it had a couple of sharper claws to defend itself from predatory theropods. On its forearms, it had two sharper claws, which were around a foot in length. On its back legs, it had one, which was around three inches long. Its legs were what gave it its name, "heavy-footed lizard", as it seemed as if its great feet would make the earth tremble when they hit the ground, though we know that big animals don't actually have that effect. Discovery Baryopodus wasn't found by a team of paleontologists, or anyone with knowledge of fossils, for that matter. They were found by a group of students walking back from school. As they were walking back, they noticed a piece of "wood" sticking out of the ground. They called up a paleontologist who led an excavation team to unearth it, and they found about 54% of the fossil, including the massive legbones, half of the back vertebrae, 87% of the tail vertebrae, half of the skull, and part of the ribcage. It was obvious that Argentina was the habitat for more giant dinosaurs than previously thought. Two years later, in 2007, an excavation crew in the eastern United States managed to dig something up previously unknown to that part of the world: three large vertebrae, and though they were smaller than the Baryopodus's, they seemed to come from the same genus. ''Baryopodus darwinii ''stayed part of the genus until more fossils of the species were unearthed in the same spot, and it was confirmed that this was a different genus altogether, and the team that dug up the other fossils renamed it Macrobrachiosaurus, or "big armed lizard", referring to its unusually long arms and legs for a sauropod. They kept the species name, however. In 2011, A fossilized Baryopodus stomach revealed that this sauropod used stones called gastroliths to digest its food for it. It also had fossilized plant matter within it, giving paleontologists an idea on what this massive dinosaur ate and the foliage in the area. It was proven that Baryopodus held its neck up high, because the plant matter in its stomach was seemingly the hard-to-digest treetop leaves. The gastroliths support this theory as well. However, Baryopodus is still pictured with a horizontal neck by amateur paleo-artists, and by much of the public. There have also been traces of Baryopodus inhabiting Raptor Island. Trackways of this giant sauropod can be viewed all over the island. This fact has added to the growing evidence that Raptor Island was not a single island, but perhaps a peninsula attached to Laramidia or, more likely the case, the largest island in an archipelago, possibly the size of the United States. If this is so, then dinosaur fossils probably sit at the bottom of the ocean as you read this. Behavior '''Herd Behavior' Baryopodus were social sauropods, and they roamed Early Cretaceous Argentina of herds comprising of hundreds of members, though sometimes family members would band together, leave the herd, and start their own. Most of them, however, stuck to the large groups, since being in a group of fewer would make them more vulnerable to the many predators in the area. Mating Baryopodus simply have to take a liking to each other and then spend the mating season together. Males do fight over females, but in a less violent way than most dinosaurs. Instead of taking the female by force, they mainly just wail, and whichever male has the louder voice wins the female. Nesting Baryopodus nest together, like many sauropods. They dig holes in the ground for the eggs and, once laid, cover them in ferns and other plant matter for insulation. The parents then go about their business eating the foliage in the area. Young Barypodus are able to run on two feet, like some sauropod hatchlings, but once a year old, they are fully quadrupedal. Parents don't raise their children, only keep them safe in the herd by sending the young ones into the middle of the group. Communication Baryopodus are able to communicate over long distances by letting out a low wail. It is pretty much the only sound they can make, and only make it during mating season or when they are in distress. Hatchlings and juveniles have higher calls that are heard over shorter distance. Paleo-Ecology Baryopodus lived in Early Cretaceous Argentina, which was a semi-arid floodplain with short but destructive wet seasons. Patches of forests were everywhere, supplying enough food for the giants that lived there. Many prehistoric creatures lived there, such as pterosaurs, though most are unnamed and haven't been described offically yet. One dinosaur that definitely lived alongside the Barypodus was a large, predatory theropod, Therodontosaurus dryptus, or "tearing, beast-toothed lizard". It was about the size of a Tyrannosaurus, possibly bigger, and was one of Baryopodus's main predators. References A Guide to the Sauropods of the Cretaceous Period ©2006 by Sarah Wilson, Raptor's Claw Publishing and Co. Baryopodus: Uncovering the Mysteries of this Forgotten Giant ©2011 by Dinosaur Books Publishing Inc. ''Rivalling Argentinosaurus ''©2014 by Allen Johnson, Dinosaur Publishing Inc. ''One of the Greatest: Standing Level with the Argentinosaurus ©''2015 by paleontologist Dr. Rachel Stevens, Cretaceous Fossil Books Category:Sauropods Category:Titanosaurids Category:Herbivores Category:Fan-made Species Category:Dinosaurs